Your ideas are good, but several years ago, I think I came up with a better idea regarding Campaign Financing Reform. I suggest NO new Laws! Encourage one of the Candidates to commit to NEVER accepting more than $50K per year. All Reporters would be intrigued by that, as all Senators and Congressmen now pay themselves $174K (plus perks). I am sure that such a Candidate would fascinate all Voters (ensuring a good turnout) and Reporters would love to interview such a Candidate, even in Debates with Incumbents who would need to defend their $174K.

I presented this several years ago as a “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” theme, where I do not see how billionaire donors could support a competing Incumbent. Other than the cost of paperwork, such a Candidate may not need cash flow at all. If so, many of the concerns you have about expensive Elections may evaporate.

Pastor Carl Johnson

Peter

Your proposal does nothing to create more transparent elections. By equating money with speech, the Supreme Court has endowed certain individuals vastly more influence than the rest of the electorate combined.

Compensation for representatives is supposed to be high enough to allow any inclined individual poor or rich the means to run as well as to prevent bribery. Your proposal would discourage the poor from running and encourage bribery.

A Concerned Millennial

rovingcritic

The Supreme Court did not equate money with speech or endow any individuals with special rights. (And nor did they hold that “corporations are people,” the other claim both parties and our news media reports about the case).

In Citizens United the Court merely held that the two political parties cannot not censor speech by individuals or groups of individuals who wish to join the political debate, Hardly a surprising ruling under the First Amendment protection that was the basis of the decision.

http://accounting-degrees-online.org/ Steve Oliver

I agree in most of your ideas that you’ve written. It is a fact that everyone must be treated equally in any situations. There’s nothing I can say but to commend you.

Ty Hitzemann

The question I have Lawrence, is HOW your campaign super PAC proposal will stop private donors from continuing to fund millions into candidates? How can you control the limits? Say you cap it at 500k each

this doesnt stop the Koch bros or anyone else from running ads till the cows come home or ‘donating’ time, media ads, radio spots, etc. because of the right of free speech and enterprise.

Viktoriya Tomova

Maybe we should have a citizen equality quiz like the life in the uk test quiz – like here uktestpass.co.uk

Lindsay Jones

This was a powerful message. You have some great points and I wish you well on your campaign

wyzarddoc

Nice academic philosophical lecture BUT you missed the key point the
root cause of our problems. You are only putting another band-aid on
the problem. Yes the system is rigged and the way to fix it to go to the
root of the problem not put another band-aid. Yes anyone aware of
current events knows that ISIS can influence individuals with media
based campaigns so yes money can influence and control elections and yes
we need to stop income tax deductions for political contributions.
Another of your platform planks is a noble cause of equality of all
citizens but again you miss the point while a noble goal it’s impossible
to obtain because for total equality to be obtained then you cannot
have individuality. The root of the problem lies in the very basis of
democracy. The solution is
1. Amend Roberts Rules of Order to require the following
A. Any motion must provide the following components

1A. Impact statement detailing who or what will be affected by
the motion and how. Requiring both positive and negative impact

2A. Modification statement detailing any existing previously approved
motion and it’s current interpretation. If a current rule/motion is in
existence then the new motion must replace in total the current
rule/law.
3A. Interpretation statement detailing the current limits of the motion and how it should be enforced.
B. Amendments to any motions be limited to directly modifying the motion and contain 1A,2A,3A above.
This
will stop or at lease limit all branches of government from attaching
amendments to bills to favor one group over another or even themselves
2.
Eliminate “Administrative Law” require all laws be passed by elected
bodies. Require Administrative law to adhere to the amended Robers Rules
of Order above. This will allow Administrative law to remain current
with the populations needs.
3. Eliminate all income tax advantages companies have over individuals.
4.
Eliminate interest on student loans – this growing debt is causing the
dumming down of Americans instead of encouraging retaking out rightful
place as the most educated country in the world
5. Reduce foreign aid until we are no longer in deficit spending
6. Reduce military expenditures to provide only what we need not what big business demands
7. Modify citizenship to read ” persons born on US soil to one or more legal US citizens”.
8.
Create a “Guest card registration” which will require non-citizens to
register, provide DNA, iris scan and fingerprints to obtain their Guest
card. The Guest card request form will require a verifiable address in
their home country. This information will be put into the FBI criminal
database until either they become legal citizens or die. Guest status
excludes the holder from any government programs but require the holder
to pay income taxes and social security. After obtaining full
citizenship any social security credits earned will be credited to the
holders account. Guess Cards will have numbers similar to social
security and allow the holder to freely travel to and from the US. Guess
card holders will be eligible to apply for full Citizenship after 10
years in the Guest program.
9. Require any new laws under
consideration list any and all current laws that deal with not only the
main problem but also list any further liability the law creates. For
example the Constitution allow the right to bear arms but local law
makes it illegal to discharge a firearm. This means a person defending
himself can be charged with a crime when he is an innocent victim
minding her own business.

rovingcritic

The Professor has a true point: It’s time to remove the corruption in our government as the necessary starting point for returning us to greatness. Nothing else can get done in our democracy until we repair the corruption.

But since we are all in agreement that the system has become “rigged,” and that members of both political parties, as well as many influential citizens outside government are involved in this criminal activity, why not insist that government begin to use the tools our laws already provide for solving the problem: Prosecution of those responsible?

Title 18 of the United States Code provides the law and our Justice Department has the skilled professionals who can get the job done. Instead of calling citizens to grand jury duty in service of the phony “war on drugs” and other such nonsense, let them judge the many instances of political corruption occurring every day, Having politicians and their wealthy friends indicted by citizen grand juries, convicted by other citizen juries and then scheduled for federal sentencing under the severe laws applicable to all citizens who steal from government would be lots more effective than our continuing and fruitless search for other “solutions.”

The professor is right that the time has come to fix the corruption. And no one in the media or even among our present political leadership in either party disputes its existence. Thus the requisite “probable cause” for criminal prosecution already exists as a matter of “bi-partisan” agreement. We seem only to lack the will to actually solve the problem.

Larry, you need to play up your connection to the founding fathers. I think your issue is PR and not substance. So why not start playing with a marketing campaign that captures your democratic-republican zeal so reminiscent of those who started this very country. You already wear glasses that make you seem eerily similar to Ben Franklin!!!

Rosie Field

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Cleberson Menezes

Very good post http://bibliaestudo.info/como-pregar-a-palavra-de-deus/ Every person receives one or more gifts, it is important that you discover what your gifts are and use them to reveal the love of God People around you. The secret of an edifying sermon that reaches people’s hearts by the power of God, as well as yours, depends on how much the preacher lives the message. The message should reveal your personal experience with God and the Word. Deepen this experience every day. Ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and be open to the Lord’s impression of the message the church needs. Pray for a sensitive heart the voice of the Holy Spirit. ‘”Lord, teach us to preach!” It would be good if the disciples had made this request to Christ, just as they did in prayer. We would then have all the benefits of some practical guidance on preaching, received directly from the Master of preachers. As we examine the life and teaching of Jesus, we discover many principles that can revolutionize our preaching ministry. The power of the Spirit Jesus clearly testified that the Spirit of the Lord anointed Him to preach (Luke 4:18). Is it too much to say that we should not preach the Word of God until we are first anointed by His Spirit? Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father (Acts 1: 8). After the celestial anointing at Pentecost, the followers of Christ went out to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit. An exemplary case is that of Stephen, the deacon, described as “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6: 5), and also as “full of grace and power” (verse 8). When Stephen preached, his hearers “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake” (verse 10). Even Stephen’s non-verbal communication was an irrefutable witness: “All that sat on the Sanhedrin, looking upon his face as if it were an angel’s” (verse 15). His life has shown that when a person is filled with the Spirit, he is full of power.http://bibliaestudo.info/